If Only You Knew
by GryffindorCriss
Summary: When she saw her father, she immediately scrubbed at her red eyes and wet cheeks furiously, clearly trying to hide the fact she had been crying. Hiccup's heart sank even more at the sight. (Zephyr is upset, Hiccup comforts her)


**I typed this on my phone whilst on holiday this week, so if there's errors or anything I'm sorry! I just really love the idea of Hiccup being the best dad ever to his kids, so I wanted to write this because dad!cup is one of my favourite things!**

**Title of the fic is taken from the song "Daughter" by Sleeping at Last, which I think could perfectly describe Hiccup's feelings about his daughter!**

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He had barely closed the door behind him when the sound of sniffles greeted his ears. Concerned, Hiccup frowned and made his way through the home, following the sound of the quiet sobs - he already knew who it was, and his heart sunk in his chest. His metal leg made a soft _thunk_ each time he climbed a stair, but other than this and the crying, the house was completely silent; he knew that Astrid was out training some of the younger warriors, and Nuffink was spending the afternoon with his grandmother. It left only one other person.

The door to one of the bedrooms was closed over when he reached it; Hiccup hesitated before gently pushing it open and stepping inside.

Zephyr had taken refuge in a corner of her room, back against the wall and knees brought to her chest; her shoulders shook as she looked up. After a moment, he realized she was holding the soft Night Fury toy that he had made her when she was a baby. When she saw her father, she immediately scrubbed at her red eyes and wet cheeks furiously, clearly trying to hide the fact she had been crying. Hiccup's heart sank even more at the sight.

"Oh, Zeph… What's the matter?" He asked, walking over and bending to be at her level.

Zephyr shook her head. "N-Nothing. I'm f-f-fine."

"No, you're not," He stated gently, holding out a hand to her. "Zephy, it's okay to be upset - come and tell me what's got you like this."

For a moment she looked as though she was going to deny the fact she was crying again - but then her face crumpled, and she threw herself into his arms. Hiccup soothed her with a soft voice, holding her tight and running a hand over her braided hair.

"It's okay," He promised quietly, though he was worried - he'd never seen her _this_ upset over something. "Whatever's the matter, I'm sure we can figure out a way to make it better."

She choked on a sob, burying herself into his chest and clutching her toy closer to herself. "No, you c-can't...you can't fix this, Daddy…"

"Hey, I'm Chief," He reminded her gently, hoping it might make her smile. "I'm sure I can do _something_."

"You can't," She insisted. "You really can't."

She was so stubborn, he mused - just like Astrid. While he usually thought it to be a good thing, it _did_ admittedly make it a bit difficult to help her calm down.

"Zeph…"

"I'm sorry!" Zephyr sobbed. "I'm sorry I'm a girl!"

Hiccup's jaw nearly dropped open in shock. "_What_?!"

"I'm sorry, Daddy," She repeated miserably. "I should have been a boy like Nuff... I'm so sorry."

"You… Don't be silly, Zephyr," Hiccup said, and he pulled away from her hug to look at her properly. "You don't need to be sorry for being a girl...there's nothing wrong with that! Why would you ever think that?"

"Because…" She lowered her head, avoiding his eyes. "Because you said I'm supposed to be the next Chief...but I can't be because I'm not a boy. If I was then I could be - I know Nuffink can be the Chief instead but...but it would be easier if I was a boy too."

Truthfully, Hiccup wasn't quite sure what to say - but his daughter clearly needed reassuring, that much was obvious, so he decided to try anyway. "You think that because you're a girl, I won't make you the next Chief?" He asked carefully.

She nodded. "I _can't_ be the next Chief, Daddy - I'm sorry."

It wasn't the first time he had heard such a thing, unfortunately; in the weeks following his daughter's birth, he'd had more than a few villagers approach him with greetings of "Congrats, Chief – next time, there'll be a lad, you'll see!" and "I'm sure you'll get lucky next time, don't you worry". It had made him far angrier than he cared to admit, partly because of how outdated that view was, but also because she was _his_ daughter and he had never been prouder than when he had held her just after she'd been born. He loved both of his children so much, neither more than the other; to be told that his daughter - his eldest, his and Astrid's first, a beautiful strong girl - was inferior just because she wasn't a boy? It was ridiculous and hurtful.

"Who told you that?" He questioned, sounding far more annoyed than he wanted to.

"Dogsbreath did," Zephyr said, still avoiding his eyes in favour of looking at her Night Fury toy. "It's okay, Daddy, really…"

"No, it's not," Hiccup stated firmly, and he took her by the hand. "Come on, come sit with me on the bed - my leg is starting to ache."

"Sorry," She apologized immediately, only for him to wave a hand dismissively.

He said nothing as he sat down and lifted her up to sit on his lap; her eyes were still red rimmed from crying, and he kissed her forehead before starting to speak again.

"There's nothing wrong with you being a girl, Zephy, nothing at all," He informed her seriously, wanting to be sure that she understood. "Girls can do _everything_ boys can - in fact, sometimes girls are _more_ capable than boys, like your mummy. Look at how well she wields an axe compared to me!"

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, though her eyes still looked sad. "I know that, Daddy, it's just…" She looked down at her toy, fidgeting slightly with it on her lap. "Dogsbreath wouldn't stop telling everyone that I'm not gonna be Chief because I'm a girl, and that Chiefs are _never_ girls. Then he said that you must be _disappointed_ I was a girl."

"Disappointed?" The idea appalled him. "Absolutely _not_, Zeph. When you were born, do you know how happy I was? How happy Mummy was too?" She shook her head slowly. "I was so happy that I _cried_."

"But...But Chiefs don't cry!" Zephyr gasped, surprised.

"Well, I did," Hiccup chuckled. "I was so happy, Zephy, that you and your Mummy were both healthy. And you really were so beautiful too - just as beautiful as Mummy."

She looked hesitant still. "I was?"

"Absolutely," Hiccup agreed truthfully. "I was so proud that I was your father, so proud of you even then, and I still am now. I even drove Mummy mad because I wouldn't put you down; I never wanted to leave the house because I never wanted to leave you - in the end, she threatened to throw me out of the house unless I stopped hovering."

His daughter giggled quietly, much to his relief. "Oh."

"Yeah," He agreed with a grin. "Even the rest of New Berk got sick of me talking about how amazing you were - it was all I'd talk about. So, trust me, Zeph, I was _far_ from disappointed when you were born."

"Okay, Daddy," Zephyr said, sounding rather relieved. "It's just… Dogsbreath is older, and he said that _his_ daddy said…"

"Well, his daddy isn't the Chief of New Berk," Hiccup reminded her, giving her a knowing smile. "So I think on this occasion I know better than him, don't you?"

She nodded, beaming now. "Definitely!"

"And as for being Chief someday…" He paused, considering his words. "Well, do you _want_ to be Chief after me?"

Zephyr hesitated. "Well...maybe. I don't know. I'm the oldest, so...so I thought I _had_ to be. I don't know."

He nodded in understanding. "Yeah, it's a crazy big job. Well, you don't have to decide anything yet," He assured her. "I'm not going anywhere for a long while yet, and there's more than enough time. No pressure. If you decide you don't want to be Chief when you grow up, then that's fine - I'll ask if Nuffink wants to be Chief instead."

"And what if Nuff doesn't wanna be Chief?" She asked curiously.

He shrugged. "That's fine too – there'll probably be someone out there who'll take the job. It doesn't matter about the Chief position," He told her firmly. "Your Mummy and I just want you and your brother to be happy, that's all."

His daughter considered this, looking rather serious all of a sudden. "Okay... I'll think about it then."

"Yeah," Hiccup agreed fondly, pressing a kiss to her head. "Just remember, you've got years to make a decision, Zephy - like I said, no rush."

"No rush," She repeated, and to his relief she smiled even wider. "Thank you, Daddy - you always know what to say!"

"Well...most of the time," He joked, pleased when she threw her arms around him in a hug. "Feeling better then?"

"Uh-huh," Zephyr agreed, closing her eyes and tightening her arms around him. "You're the best daddy ever - I love you, Daddy!"

He felt his heart grow impossibly in his chest as he hugged her back, smiling to himself. "Yeah? I love you too, Zeph."

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**Thank you for reading! Reviews/Feedback greatly appreciated! :)**


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